Courses

Effects of Eviction on Individuals and Communities in Middlesex County

A Study Completed by

Rilwan Babajide, Eliana Blum, Hannah Maniates, and Madeline Scher

In Collaboration with

The Middlesex County Coalition on Housing and Homelessness

May 12, 2016

Exploring Factors for High School Success in Middletown School District

Ryan Breen, Ellen Chang, Michelle Rosen, and Suet Ning Wong

May 2016

Middlesex Coalition for Children

“Resident Perspectives on the North End”

for the North End Action Team

by Talia DeRogatis, Jamie Jung, Crystal Rogers, and Angela Slevin

In conjunction with the North End Action Team (NEAT), a community organizing group based in the North End of Middletown, Connecticut, a research team from Wesleyan University worked to survey the residents of the neighborhood to understand their perspectives on the greatest issues presently facing the community. Through convenience and random sampling methods, we surveyed 113 residents. The top five greatest issues were found to be Crime and Drugs, Infrastructure and Access, Street Dynamics, Youth Activities, and Public Space. We hope that these results can help direct the future community organizing efforts of NEAT.

“2015 Assessment of Food Security in Middletown Households with Children”

for Middlesex Coalition for Children

by Nina Gerona, Eva Jaskoviak, Geneva Jonathan, and Morgan Scribner

The Middlesex Coalition for Children recruited the services of four Wesleyan students to research issues related to food security and access of Middletown households with children. The research goals were to: (1) measure the food security of households with children under the age of 18; (2) evaluate the use of federal and local food programs; (3) assess factors that limit access to food such as income and transportation. In 2005, a similar report, Food Security and Hunger Among Middletown Households with Children, was completed using telephone interviews and self-administered surveys. This 2015 study serves as a comparison to the 2005 study, reporting on how food trends have changed over the past decade. This study found that food insecurity among Middletown households with children has doubled in the past ten years, and the recent addition of the marginally food secure category by the USDA highlights that many households could be on the cusp of food insecurity. Income is the strongest indicator of a household’s food security status. Moreover, food insecure parents attempt to shield their children from the effects of food insecurity by reducing the quality and size of their meals first, but this becomes increasingly difficult as household income approaches the poverty line. We also found federal and local food aid programs are helping to reduce food insecurity, yet many programs have also seen a decline in use by food insecure families in the past ten years.